Well, we expected to like Vienna better than Budapest, but to our surprise- we all love and prefer Budapest!! We love the architecture, the food, the diversity of peoples, the history, the ambiance, the topography and oh, did I mention the food?
And...... it's breakfast time again at our hotel cafe. It's delicious, scrumptious, the ambiance is great and it's included in our room bill, so we indulge and skip lunch.
A sampler of fresh baked-this-morning breads.....
Breakfast entrees including Hungarian omelet (me) duck liver terrine (Ray), pasta with prosciutto (Shirley), scrambled eggs (Sally).
Plus coffee, tea, etc and Sally and Shirley finished with a Lemon-grass torte.
Thusly fortified, we again hop on bus #16 to the top of Buda Hill for a tour of the Royal Palace where Hungarian Kings were crowned (bombed nearly flat during WWII, poorly reconstructed by the Russians/Communist government nevertheless housing a worthwhile museum tracing 1,000 years of early, medieval and modern Hungarian history) and having great views of the Danube and the Pest side of the city.
The Royal Palace and it's sculptures depicting historical Magyars (Hungarians) in dramatic scenes.....
And a lovely view of The Danube, the Hungarian Parliment Builing & Pest City...
I found a few Medieval / Art Nouveau gargoyles for daughter Julie who loves Halloween and such......
We spied a grand diversity of architectural styles...Art Nouveau, neo-gothic, neo classical, neo romantic, neo, neo....
We toured the Budapest Opera. Acoustics rated one of the top 5 in the world and costs for a performance one of the cheapest in Europe.
And the iconic (on every postcard of The Danube through Budapest) Hungarian Parliment Building (from the front this time).
A quick romp through the Great Market Hall, an 1886 farmers market featuring Hungarian paprika, fruit brandies, fresh veggies...
Paprika and garlic....
Meats and smoked sausages (free smells)......
A short walk on one of many Budapest pedestrian streets to our restaurant (Borlabor)...
...and we enjoy another fine meal, ending with Palinka (Hungarian fruit brandy - this time sour cherry).....
Tomorrow we will be up early to catch the 9:45 train to Pecs, Hungary.
What a wonderful trip down memory lane for me. Really enjoyed your photos and blog of Budapest. So glad you all enjoyed the lovely city.
ReplyDeleteYou guys look like you're having a great and tasty time. Have an extra pastry for me ok Dave. Looking forward to Poland.
ReplyDeleteThere's dessert after breakfast? Now that's what I call a vacation!
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